AutomationHow Add and Submit Your Shopify Sitemap To Google: Step by Step Guide
Last updated: December 18 2024
Do you want to improve your Shopify store’s SEO and increase organic traffic? Adding a sitemap is one of the quickest and easiest ways to do it! Adding a sitemap is a guide for search engine crawlers, helping them understand the structure and content of your website.
In this guide, we will show you how to add a sitemap to your Shopify store in 6 steps and boost your visibility in search results.
What is a Shopify Sitemap?
A Shopify sitemap is a crucial XML file that improves your store’s search engine optimization (SEO). This sitemap includes links to every part of your site—products, collections, and blog posts—helping search engines crawl your store more effectively. As a result, your store gains better visibility, with content prioritized for indexing.
Benefits of Adding a Shopify Sitemap
Adding a Shopify sitemap offers numerous benefits that can significantly enhance your online store's performance:
- Boosted SEO: Ensures search engines can easily find and index all essential pages, increasing the chances of higher search rankings.
- Improved Navigation: Provides a clear structure for visitors, enhancing user experience by helping them find products and content more easily.
- Faster Content Indexing: Allows search engines to discover new pages quickly, promptly ensuring updates appear in search results.
- Early Issue Detection: Highlights broken links or unindexed pages, enabling quick fixes to maintain site health.
- Full Site Representation: Covers all content types, including products, collections, and blog posts, so nothing is missed in indexing.
- Efficient Search Engine Submission: Can be submitted directly to Google and other search engines to improve your store’s visibility online.
How to Add Sitemap in Shopify: A Step-by-Step Guide
Online merchants must verify their domains with third-party services like Google Search Console to confirm ownership of their Shopify stores. This verification allows access to tools and features that enhance their online presence and marketing efforts.
Step 1: Copy the Meta Tag
To verify your website on a third-party site like Google, you need to use a meta tag verification method. Here’s how to do it:
- Enter your website URL and click "Continue" for the HTML tag.
- Select the HTML tag and copy it by pressing Ctrl + C. Make sure to include everything, including the < and > symbols.
Example of a Meta Tag:
<meta name="google-site-verification" content="x0j7nENspdK6SU3eV-x8zuEyRpUwvEMIPBGObBmPxIM" />
Step 2: Choose Your Theme
In your Shopify admin, navigate to Online Store, then select “Themes.”
Step 3: Edit Code
Find the theme you want to edit from the list, click the icon ("..."), and select “Edit code.”
Step 4: Open theme.liquid
In the online code editor's Layout section, click “theme.liquid” to open this file.
Step 5: Paste the Meta Tag
Paste the copied meta tag on a new line directly within the opening <head> tag.
Step 6: Save Changes
Finally, click Save to apply your changes.
How to Submit a Shopify Sitemap to Google Search Console
Improving your Shopify store's visibility on Google is easier than you think. By following these steps, you can submit your sitemap and enhance your online presence.
Step 1: Open the Google Search Console Dashboard
After completing the verification process, go to Google Search Console and click “Sitemaps.”
Step 2: Add Your Sitemap
In the “Add a new sitemap” box, paste the URL for your Shopify sitemap. You can find this URL by typing your store’s URL followed by “/sitemap.xml.”
Step 3: Click Submit
Finally, click “Submit” to finish the process.
What Happens After Submitting Your Shopify Sitemap?
After submitting your Shopify sitemap, several vital processes can enhance your store's visibility and indexing on search engines like Google. Here’s what happens:
- Crawling and Indexing: Google starts crawling the URLs in your sitemap, making it easier to discover and index your store’s pages.
- Submission Status Monitoring: You can track your sitemap’s status in Google Search Console, including the number of URLs crawled and any errors that need fixing.
- Faster Content Updates: Submitting a sitemap helps Google recognize new or updated content more quickly, ensuring changes are indexed promptly.
- Enhanced SEO Performance: A well-structured sitemap helps search engines better understand your site, potentially improving rankings and increasing organic traffic.
- Regular Recrawling: Google will regularly recrawl your sitemap to capture updates, keeping your store current in search results without requiring repeated submissions.
These processes highlight the importance of submitting your sitemap to enhance your online store's visibility.
In Conclusion
And that’s it! Your Shopify store now has a powerful tool to boost online visibility. With these six simple steps, you’ve created a sitemap that guides search engines through your site for better indexing and higher search rankings. Now, sit back and watch as your organic traffic grows!
Read more: Get your Shopify store on Google
Adding Shopify Sitemap: FAQs
How do I enable sitemap on Shopify?
You don’t need to enable a sitemap manually on Shopify, as it is automatically generated for your store. You can access it by adding /sitemap.xml to your store's URL (e.g., yourstore.com/sitemap.xml). This sitemap updates as you add or remove pages.
How do I add a map on Shopify?
- Step 1: From your Shopify admin, go to Online Store > Themes.
- Step 2: Find the theme you want to edit, then click Customize.
- Step 3: Click the Add section.
- Step 4: Click Map, and then click Select.
- Step 5: Enter the information for your map. In the Google Maps API key field, paste your Google Maps API key.
- Step 6: Click Save.
How do I add a sitemap?
Since Shopify automatically creates a sitemap, there’s no need to manually add one. However, after locating your sitemap at yourstore.com/sitemap.xml, you should submit this URL to Google Search Console to help improve your site's SEO and indexing.
Can we edit the sitemap in Shopify?
No, you can’t edit the auto-generated Shopify sitemap. It is created and updated automatically based on your store’s content. If you need more control over your sitemap, you can use third-party apps to create custom sitemaps, but it’s generally recommended to stick with the default settings provided by Shopify.
